Handling??

[Rebecca]

I know nothing about monitors, so I was wondering. Are there any smaller monitors that I can actually take out of it's home and hold?? I don't want one that get like 5ft but something like 1 or maybe 2ft. I'd also want one that eats veggies, not rats or mice. It there even such a thing??

[LdyDrgn]

Get an Ackie, they have great personalities!! And no, there are no monitors that eat veggies (that I know of!).

[Rebecca]

What do ackies eat??

[LdyDrgn]

Mostly insects with rodents and arachnids as treats :D

[Colonel SB]

There are a few monitors that will eat veggies, well fruit but they also need insects and rodents.

[Linds]

What monitors eat fruit??? I have never heard of any species of monitor that eats fruit. Unless you are speaking of tegus, some people group them with monitors even though they aren't... :confused:

[V.hb]

There actually is a type of monitor that exclusively eats fruits.. Iam not 100% sure of its name, i believe it is a varanid sub species.. I dont think they are even in captivity

[Colonel SB]

V.olivaceus, V.prasinus & V.beccarii have all been know to take fruits, it's in the Savannah & Grassland Monitors book by AVS pages 49.

[Steeve B]

Olivaceuse is 50% fruigivor
Mabitang is 80%
and a few months ago was discovered a new species said to be totaly vegetarian.
you can get Aufenbergs book on Olivaceuse
I have the lates study on Mabitang
as for the new specie only Bennet knows about it

[Dragoon]

Hello.
V. olivaceous eats fruit native to its Phillipene island (no, none of our available fruits in North America) as well as snails and bugs.
V. mabitang is reported to eat fruit and leaves exclusively. Only two specimens of this animal are known to science as of yet.

As an oddity, some captive varanids of various species will eat tiny amounts of vegetation if offered,... but then, they also eat feces on occasion.

The original poster should look into beardies and water dragons, they get a nice size without having to eat cute fuzzy animals.
D.

[LdyDrgn]

I think a Uromastyx would be a better idea, but that's just me ;)

[Steeve B]

I agree with you my LdyDrgn! Uromastyx would be much better, I dont know what I was thinking with my reply? guess I was replying to V.hb